


The Compassionate Vampire

by JJ1564



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M, Schmoop, Vampire Jensen, Werewolf Jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 11:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5583310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JJ1564/pseuds/JJ1564
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jared meets Jensen, he realizes he has never fallen in love before, which is inconvenient as Jensen is a vampire.As a werewolf, Jared was brought up to fear and dislike all vampires, but Jensen is nothing like Jared imagined a vampire would be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Compassionate Vampire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rikuya0827](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=rikuya0827).



> Written for spn_j2_xmas and as a gift for rikuya0827 for the prompt “J2: Vampire/Werewolf (which one is which doesn't matter)”. I'm very sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoy the story. I intend to carry on with it, as I have lots of ideas for the plot, thanks to your prompt, but this can be read as a one-off, too!  
> Finally, I'd like to say a huge thanks to my wonderful beta somersault_j for your help and speedy response.

Jared scanned the gathering anxiously; it was disturbing to be in such close proximity with so many vampires. When Morgan had told his pack that they were going to unite with the local vampires, he had thought his Alpha was joking. Werewolves and vampires were sworn enemies, co-existing in a wary truce, which occasionally broke and led to bloodshed.

“Brothers and sisters,” Morgan was speaking now, his strong voice carrying over the crowd. “We face an unprecedented peril, one that requires us to stand together, werewolves and vampires united.”

There was a murmur of grumbling and whispers in the crowd, but no one dared to voice a complaint.

“My dear children,” Ty Olsson, the leader of the vampires spoke now; he was a tall, imposing creature, his soft voice and pleasant manners contradicting his blood-thirsty nature. His bright blue eyes shone in the firelight and seemed to catch Jared’s own and look into his soul. He shivered and looked away, making DJ chuckle softly.

“Scary fucker, ain’t he?” DJ whispered and Jared shook his head.

“He doesn’t scare me,” Jared lied, and the grin DJ flashed him showed that his friend knew it.

“My dear children,” Olsson repeated, regarding the crowd, “and our new friends; yes, I call Morgan’s pack our friends, as it is an old saying but true - the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” There were murmurs of agreement and a few of dissent from the crowd.

Jared was enraptured by the Alpha vamp’s speech and when he finished, Jared’s eyes moved to the two men flanking him. They were both tall; one had blonde hair and a disinterested smirk on his face, like everything was either boring or a big joke to him. The other stood perfectly still, only his eyes moved; he surveyed the crowd and Jared almost gasped when the vamp’s eyes fell upon him; they were bright green, shining in the firelight, brimming with intelligence and charisma.

“We have already lost two of our pack to the coven,” Morgan was saying, “Two young people, in the prime of their lives. They died in agony, screaming and bleeding.” Morgan’s voice shook in anger and grief. “One was my son, Henry Dean Morgan, and the other was Julia Padalecki, his fiancée.”

Jared felt hot tears well up in his eyes. Witnessing his sister’s death had been the worst moment of his life. He had watched helplessly as she writhed in agony, the witch’s wicked spell slowly killing her. He rubbed his fingers angrily over his eyes - he was a werewolf, he was strong, he was powerful and he was going to kill that murderous witch. Jared glanced at the green-eyed vampire and was surprised to see him looking straight at him. This time he saw compassion in those unearthly green eyes; he had never expected a vampire to care about anything or anyone. He forced himself to look away, not wanting to cry in front of everyone, and especially not in front of a whole load of vamps.

“We have lost one of our nest in the same way,” Olsson responded. “We are vampires, we are predators, we are strong and lethal, yet we cannot fight the coven alone. They do not fight fair; they use spells to harm and kill, and they do not even need to be in the same place. We need to work together to protect our own from this threat.”

“If the witches want to take over, I say we let them and move somewhere else,” A middle-aged vampire with a British accent spoke up. “We can’t fight spells with brute strength.”

“So you think we should run away?” the green-eyed vampire asked him, his voice steely and one perfect eyebrow rose in disdain.

“It’s not running away, it’s tactical withdrawal,” the man replied with a shrug.

“Call it what you will, Sheppard, it’s still cowardice,” the green-eyed vampire retorted.

“That’s Jensen Ackles, Olsson’s right-hand man. He’s almost as old as Olsson, as he was made by him; so was the other guy,  
Sebastian Roche,” a tall, slim man with short brown hair and a kind face whispered to him.

“Jensen…” Jared murmured, loving the way the vampire’s name sounded.

“Would you like me to introduce you?” the man offered.

“What?” Jared started, almost forgetting the man who had spoken to him.

“Jensen - would you like me to introduce you?” he repeated, “You seem pretty taken with him.”

“No offense, but I don’t fraternize with vamps,” Jared retorted.

“None taken,” the man replied with a smile, “I’m Gil McKinney. You may not want to fraternize with us, but I’m afraid we’ve all got to work together.”

“Yeah,” Jared replied, chastened, “sorry, I didn’t mean to be a dick. I’m Jared Padalecki.”

“Pleased to meet you, Jared. This is all gonna take some getting used to.” Gil watched Jensen move away from Olsson and beckoned to him.

“Don’t…what are you doing?” Jared tried to stop him but Jensen was already on his way over.

“Jensen, meet Jared,” Gil introduced them, adding, “Padalecki.”

Jensen’s handsome face changed from mildly interested to very interested. “Jared,” he held out his hand and Jared took it. Jared realized it was the first time he had ever shaken hands with a vampire and he was surprised at Jensen’s firm hand and warm skin.

“Can I have my hand back now?” Jensen grinned and Jared pulled his hand away, blushing. Damn, the man was even more beautiful when he smiled.

“Sorry, um, pleased to meet you,” Jared muttered, not knowing what else to say.

“Me too, and I’m so sorry about your sister,” Jensen looked at him, his big green eyes full of sympathy. Jared was surprised once again that cold-blooded vampires had feelings.

“Thanks,” Jared desperately needed to change the subject. “So, you’re Olsson’s second in command?”

“I guess so,” Jensen shrugged, “it’s not a formal position, but I was his first and I’ve always been at his side.”

“You were his first? He made you a vampire?” Jared asked, shocked.

“Don’t look so disproving, Jared,” Jensen replied. “One day I’ll tell you my story, if you would like to hear it?”

“I guess so,” Jared tried to play it cool, but the thought of being with Jensen was very enticing.

“I have to speak with Ty and your Mr Morgan now,” Jensen almost looked sorry to leave. “It was really good to meet you, Jared.”

“Yeah, it was good to meet you too, Jensen.” Jared watched Jensen walk away and knew he was going to have to revise his long-held opinions about vampires; Jensen was unlike anything he had imagined.

“Don’t let his handsome face and charming manners fool you, Jared,” a familiar voice brought him out of his day dream.

“What?” he snapped and wondered again what he had ever seen in Tahmoh Penikett. The man was as slippery as a snake and had a very low opinion of anyone who wasn’t a werewolf. He was also very controlling, which was the main reason Jared had ended their stormy six-month relationship.

“That Ackles, he’s nothing but a blood-sucking murderer.” Tahmoh looked angry.

“I don’t need to justify myself to you, Tahm.” Jared was angry too now. “You know I would never fall for a vamp; no matter how handsome he is.” Jared knew his words were not exactly truthful, because he had never seen anyone as handsome as Jensen before, human or otherwise.

 

Jensen wasn’t just handsome and charismatic; he had spent many years studying Wicca and pored over many ancient spell books. He had come up with a plan to end the witches reign over their town, but it needed the werewolves to stand with them. There were only a dozen witches in the coven but they were powerful. The plan was to confront the witches, knowing that the coven would try to use the opportunity to rid themselves of both the werewolf pack and the vampire nest. What they would not expect was that Jensen had found a counter-spell to turn their own magic against them.

It all took place at midnight on the winter solstice, in a cold frosty field. The coven danced around a huge bonfire and then chanted their spell, aiming to decimate their enemies, but Jensen’s counter spell worked and as all the werewolves and vampires recited the spell together, the witches started to scream. They all watched dispassionately as the coven died in agony, one by one; then they piled the witches’ bodies on the bonfire.

Jensen was everyone’s hero, the man of the hour, the savior of both vampires and werewolves. The only exception was Tahmoh, who had lurked on the edge of the pack and not joined in with the spell. Jared felt Tahmoh watching him but ignored him. Jared wanted to speak to Jensen, but he seemed to be surrounded by weres and vamps, all congratulating him and thanking him. Bottles of beer appeared and everyone drank their fill, the impromptu party only ending because of the bitterly cold temperature.

As Jared walked away chatting to DJ, Jensen caught up with him and gave him a dazzling smile.

“Jared!” he grinned. “I’ve been trying to catch you for ages.”

“You looked pretty busy!” Jared smiled back.

“We are having a celebration tomorrow evening, at our club, The Underground,” Jensen explained. “It would be wonderful if you and your pack could join us.”

“Sure, that sounds great,” Jared nodded and glanced at DJ, who was looking at Jensen with something like hero-worship in his eyes. “I know everyone has said this, but I just want to thank you for what you did here this evening.”

Jensen actually looked embarrassed as he replied, “Well, we couldn’t have done it without the help of your pack.”

“Jensen,” Olsson’s strong voice rang out, “time to go.”

“Okay,” Jensen called back, and then turned to Jared, “Jared, you will come along tomorrow?”

Jared nodded, wondering if it was a question or a statement. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

 

The Underground club, co-owned by Jensen, Ty and Sebastian, was located in a large basement, with a long bar running the length of one wall and numerous tables and chairs dotted around the room; a small raised stage was opposite the bar. Jared took it all in, as he had never been there before – no werewolves had, as it was usually a place just for vampires and humans. Jensen greeted Jared warmly, and shook hands with Morgan, DJ, Genevieve, Pamela and the rest of the werewolves that had gathered. Jensen excused himself once he bought them all a round of drinks, setting off towards the stage.

Jared watched in awe as Jensen took the stage, looking calm and confident. He grabbed the mic and looked out over the crowd, his eyes resting on Jared. “Good evening, everyone; it is wonderful to see so many of you here and to see werewolves and vampires occupying the same room. Just in case any trouble does start, I’m going to sing real quick!” A few people laughed and the slightly tense atmosphere relaxed a little. “I will start with the Christmas classic, All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Jensen started to sing and Jared was spellbound; Jensen’s voice was husky, strong, and beautiful. It was a slow, acoustic version of the song and it worked very well; Jared had never even liked the song until now.

Jensen was looking directly at him and gave a cheeky wink as he sang “Make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is you…” Jared blushed and took a large swig of his beer.

“Hey, Jared, I think that our pretty hero likes you!” DJ shouted in his ear.

“Shut up!” Jared protested, still gazing in admiration at Jensen on the stage. Jared realized it had been stupid to have thought vampires were cold-blooded and uncaring, and that they wouldn’t know how to have fun or even how to celebrate Christmas.

Jensen’s next song was “Wherever You Will Go” and as he sang, Jensen became lost in the song, his husky voice dropped lower and Jared was sure he saw tears in those brilliant green eyes. Jensen’s voice wavered for a moment and Jared wondered who Jensen was singing about. Jared knew so little about him, he had no idea how old Jensen was or who he had loved and lost. And he wasn’t sure why it bothered him; he wasn’t in the least bit interested in Jensen. He could never fall for a vampire; they were dirty blood-suckers, monsters, inhuman, undead, cold, bloodthirsty, evil…but none of these seemed to apply to the handsome, talented, very much alive man finishing his song.

Once again, Jensen’s eyes fixed on Jared as he sang the final chorus “…way up high or down low, I’ll go wherever you will go…”  
Jared was both flattered and intrigued, but as beautiful as Jensen was, there was no way Jared could like him. There would be no future for them and his family would disown him; Jared shook his head, clearing his mind. He had barely exchanged more than a few words with Jensen, and if the guy was winking and hitting on him, it was probably just for a quick fuck, nothing more.

Jensen was singing “Sweet Home Alabama” now and the audience was joining in enthusiastically. He followed it up with “Here I Go Again”. Jensen had caught Jared’s eye a few more times, but he hadn’t stared or winked at him again. Jared felt relieved, not disappointed. At least that’s what he told himself.

Jensen made his way to the bar, stopping several times to chat to other vampires. He grinned at Jared as he approached him.

“So, did you like it?” Jensen asked.

“Yeah, you have a great voice.” Jared had already ordered Jensen a beer and he accepted it gratefully. “You seemed to have a twitch in your eye though…”

Jensen laughed, and if he looked beautiful smiling, he was even more stunning when he laughed.

“I never was very subtle,” Jensen smiled ruefully, “I hope I didn’t freak you out too much.”

“No, I appreciate your interest, it’s just…” Jared sighed.

“You don’t fraternize with vamps.” Jensen smiled sadly at him.

“Shit, you heard me say that?” Jared felt awful; he had regretted when he had said it to Gil, and regretted it even more now.

“No, don’t worry; vampire hearing is good but not that good!” Jensen smiled more warmly. “Gil told me, because he knew I like you. I was hoping to be able to change your mind.”

Jared smiled and was about to respond when DJ appeared on stage and started to sing along to “Don’t Stop Believin” on the Karaoke machine, loudly and tunelessly. Jared chuckled and leaned into Jensen to say, “At least your voice is better than DJ’s.”

“His voice is fine, if you like listening to constipated cows!” Jensen replied, laughing too.

They ended up spending the rest of the evening together, along with DJ, Gil and a few other friends. Jared was completely captivated by Jensen. He was charming, funny and great company; by the end of the evening Jared had almost forgotten that Jensen was a vampire.

As they parted Jensen asked, “So did I change your mind?”

Jared was feeling pleasantly drunk and had no idea what Jensen meant. “What about?”

“Fraternizing with vampires,” Jensen grinned.

“Oh, hell yes!” Jared gave Jensen a big Padalecki bear hug. He would have liked to kiss Jensen too, but he wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol’s influence so he refrained, especially when he developed hiccups and Jensen called him adorable.

 

When he got home, he fumbled a little with the key to his apartment, and giggled to himself as he could see two locks where only one should be. He sensed someone behind him and tensed, then recognized the scent as Tahmoh’s.

“Whatcha doin’ here?” Jared slurred, as Tahmoh took the key from his hand and swiftly opened the door.

“I’m just looking out for you,” Tahmoh retorted, “I saw you leave and didn’t want any blood-sucking pretty boy following you home to take advantage of you.”

“M’fine,” Jared retorted, “Don’ need…hic… your help. An’ Jensen’s not a blood…hic…blood-sucking pretty boy!”

Tahmoh pushed Jared into the hall and kicked the door shut behind him. “Yes, he fucking is - they all are! I don’t like the way you’re mixing with him and his buddies.”

“There’s a truce, Tahm, an’ the coven’s gone thanks to Jensen,” Jared replied, his pleasant drunkenness dissipating into a nasty headache.

“That doesn’t mean you have to roll over and spread for that vamp bastard,” Tahmoh sneered.

Tahmoh was pressed up close against Jared, so Jared pushed him away with as much strength as he could. “Fuck off outta my house, Tahmoh!”

Jared froze as Tahmoh glared at him, unsure what Tahmoh would do. With a sigh, Tahmoh’s body relaxed and he gave Jared a sad smile. “Okay, okay.” He spread his hands in a gesture of peace. “I’m going. It’s just, well; you know I still care about you, Jare.”

“Thanks for wanting to protect me, but I can take care of myself.” Jared replied, coolly.

As soon as he locked the door following Tahmoh’s exit, Jared staggered through to the kitchen and poured a glass of water, gulping it down along with two Advil to try to stop his headache from worsening. He slumped on his sofa and stared at a late-night talk show, not taking in anything that was being said, before falling asleep. Luckily his couch was very comfortable and long enough to accommodate his length and this wasn’t the first time he had slept on it. After Julia’s death, he hadn’t been able to sleep properly for weeks and ended up napping on his sofa too many nights.

He was roused from his sleep at 10am by his cell phone buzzing. He peered at it and sat up, regretting the sudden movement as his head swam. It was Jensen, but Jared couldn’t face speaking to him before he had downed at least three cups of coffee.

Jared waited a few minutes then listened to the recorded message. Jensen sounded full of beans and Jared envied the vampire ability to drink all night and never get a hangover. Jensen wanted to meet up for lunch; Jared’s heart leapt in his chest at the thought of seeing Jensen again, but unfortunately it was accompanied by his head still pounding.

Jared drank four cups of strong coffee, ate some dry toast and showered until he felt more human – well, as human as he ever could be. He dressed in light blue jeans and a tight dark blue V-necked sweater, knowing he was wearing it to show off his physique. Then he pulled a flannel shirt over it, hearing Tahmoh’s bitter words and not wanting to give Jensen the wrong idea.

“Hey,” Jensen was waiting outside the café, wearing light blue jeans, a thick winter coat and a dark green scarf that made his eyes sparkle in the sunlight. His daylight ring gleamed in the bright winter sunshine too. Jared briefly wondered what would happen if Jensen removed the ring.

“Hey,” Jared replied, suddenly feeling nervous. He knew so little about Jensen, and he knew very little about vampires, apart from the lies and half-truths he had been brought up on.

Jensen ordered the Chicken Caesar salad and caught the look of surprise Jared gave his choice.

“We do eat food, you know,” he smiled at Jared.

“I know, I just thought you’d go for a rare steak or something more…”

“Bloody?” Jensen chuckled. “I have a confession to make, Jared.”

Jared’s spine tingled at the way Jensen said his name. “Okay…”

“I don’t like the taste of blood,” Jensen admitted, “and I very seldom eat red meat. I drink blood as a necessity, not a choice.”

Jared laughed, “Jensen, the vamp who doesn’t like blood!”

“Shush,” Jensen admonished, “you will ruin my reputation!”

They ate in companionable silence, Jared enjoying his burger and fries.

“There’s so much I want to ask you, Jensen.” Jared broke the lull in conversation. “About you and about vampires in general. Hell, I feel so ignorant; I thought you were all cold-hearted monsters.”

“Monsters?” Jensen gave him a rueful smile. “It’s okay, Jared, most vampires think the same about your kind.”

“But not you?” Jared asked.

“I am old, Jared; I have seen many things, met many people and many other creatures.” Jensen glanced around the café. “But perhaps here is not the place for such a conversation.”

“Let’s get our coffees and desserts to go, and take a walk,” Jared proposed.

“An excellent suggestion,” Jensen smiled warmly, as he caught the waitress’s eye.

They ordered their take out and paid the bill. As they left, it started to snow lightly.

“Crap,” Jared scowled at the sky.

“It’s only a light sprinkle; don’t tell me a big bad wolf like you is afraid of a little snow?” Jensen teased.

“I’m not that bad,” Jared grinned, “and I don’t mind the snow if you don’t.”

“I can believe you’re not bad, Mr Padalecki, but I have a feeling you may be big…” Jensen waggled his eyebrows and they both laughed.

“And I can believe you really aren’t very subtle, Mr Ackles!” Jared retorted with a wink. His face was flushed and it wasn’t just from the snow. He could barely believe he was here with this beautiful man (not a blood sucking vamp) and that the beautiful man was flirting with him.

They were soon walking through the local park. Children were laughing and running around in the snow, some catching snowflakes on their tongues. Jensen stopped and stuck his tongue out; Jared couldn’t take his eyes off of Jensen’s pretty pink tongue. All too soon the moment was over; Jensen was laughing and saying something…

“Jared?” Jensen was facing him now, “earth to Jared?”

“Sorry!” Jared grinned, “What did you say?”

“I was just saying it never gets old, the feeling of snow on your skin - or more accurately on your tongue. You should try it!”

“I haven’t done that since I was a kid!” Jared protested, but did it anyway. The cool sensation of the snow hitting his tongue was kind of sweet and he smiled back at Jensen. This time, Jensen seemed to be transfixed with Jared’s mouth.

“Wonderful, isn’t it?” Jensen’s voice was husky and Jared wasn’t sure if Jensen was referring to the snow or his mouth. “There’s a bench over by the lake,” Jensen grinned at him and he looked, for a ‘very old’ vampire, just like a little boy. “Race ya!” Jensen took off at a surprisingly fast speed, heading towards the lake.

“Hey! Not fair, I’ve got the coffees!” Jared called after Jensen, who turned back, grabbed the cardboard holder containing their coffees from Jared’s hand, and ran back towards the lake, not spilling a drop.

Jared raced after him, but even his longer legs were no match for Jensen’s speed. Jensen jumped up on the bench and did a one-armed ‘Rocky’ air punch.

“And the winner is Jensen Ackles!” he chanted gleefully.

Jared reached the bench seconds later and before he knew what he was doing, he had joined Jensen up on the bench and was kissing him.

“Well, that was a very worthwhile prize!” Jensen exclaimed as Jared pulled away. Jensen touched his own lips with his fingertips, savoring the moment.

“Sorry,” Jared jumped down from the bench, afraid that he had moved too fast. “I don’t know what came over me.”

Jensen stepped down gracefully and brushed snow from the bench before sitting down. He handed a coffee to Jared, who took it and sat beside Jensen.

“I’m pleased you did it,” Jensen murmured, looking down at his coffee. “I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you.” He turned his head to look at Jared, his green eyes showing his sincerity.

“Me too,” Jared confessed and lifted his hand to stroke Jensen’s cheek.

“Your fingers are freezing!” Jensen scolded. “Where are your gloves?”

“I forgot them; I think they’re in my car,” Jared shrugged.

Jensen tutted his disapproval and placed his coffee down on the bench, taking Jared’s free hand in his own, rubbing the fingers until they were warmer. “Now your other hand,” Jensen ordered and Jared switched his coffee from one hand to the other.

“Thanks,” Jared flexed his now warm fingers. “So, apple tart or blueberry muffin?”

“Let’s share them,” Jensen replied. They sat sharing their dessert and drinking coffee, while Jensen told Jared a short version of his life. Jensen had been a soldier in the American Civil War, and was badly wounded in battle. As he lay dying, a stranger with piercing blue eyes and a soft southern accent appeared and Jensen begged the man to kill him. He was in agony from a stomach wound and knew he would die a slow painful death.

“Let me help you, brother,” the man had said, “I can take away your pain.”

Jensen had grasped the man’s shirt, pleading, “Help me…”

“You must understand that you will die, but I will bring you back to life. And you will be with me, you will be my companion.” 

Jensen had been captivated by the man’s eyes; he could see only kindness in them, and perhaps a little loneliness too. He had nodded his acquiescence and the man’s hands tightened around his throat until he passed out. When he awoke, his pain had disappeared but he was ravenously hungry.

“Welcome to your new life, brother,” the man with blue eyes greeted him.

“Who are you?” Jensen had asked.

“I am Ty Olsson, your new friend, your father, your brother, your maker.”

Jensen skipped forward a few decades, explaining that as a new vampire he had killed people. He was not ashamed about it, it was so long ago and he had little choice at the time. Both he and Ty tried to pick out bad men - rapists, murderers and child abusers. However, Sebastian was not as careful and particularly loved the blood of young, pretty women. In order to fit in and not cause too many deaths, Ty, Jensen and Sebastian took ownership of a bar with a brothel attached. They would feed on their girls, and sometimes on their clients too, and then compel them to forget. It was a good arrangement and when any locals became suspicious of their operation, they just moved on to another town.

Over the years they traveled throughout America and also much of Europe. Jensen was fluent in French, Spanish and Italian. He was an expert fencer, a chess champion, an author and an artist. In recent years they had opened a string of bars that catered for vampires and for people who were more than willing to ‘donate’ blood for them.

“Wow,” Jared exclaimed as Jensen’s story came to an end, “you…you’re amazing! You’ve done so much, been to so many places.” Jared bit his lip, unsure whether to ask the next question.

“What do you want to know, Jared?” Jensen asked.

“You and Ty, were you, I mean, are you…”

“No, never.” Jensen gave a brief smile. “But I have loved, and of course I have lost. Only two people have ever captured my heart.”

“Only two people, in all your years?”

“Yes, I fell in love with a woman in Paris in 1896. Her name was Felicia and she knew what I was but she didn’t care, she loved me and we were happy. She had hair the color of autumn leaves and a wonky smile that made her look so sweet. But as she grew older she became bitter, hating that her body was failing while mine would forever be 26 years old.” Jensen sighed. “She left me and I followed her, for I did not care that her body was ageing, I loved her. Then she actually took sanctuary in a convent!” Jensen laughed ruefully.

“I’m sorry,” Jared whispered, unsure what to say and unwilling to interrupt Jensen.

“It’s ancient history now.” Jensen peered at him. “You’re cold, we should go…”

Jared was aware now of only two things – yes, he was very cold, but he didn’t want to go anywhere without Jensen. “We could go back to my apartment; it’s not far from here.” Jared tried to sound casual. “If you want to that is. I mean, you still need to tell me about the second love of your life.”

Jensen stood up and turned to look down at Jared. For a moment Jared thought Jensen was going to say no and feared that he had said something wrong. Jensen’s expressive eyes showed such sadness, but it was fleeting and replaced by warmth as Jensen smiled at him, and reached his hands out to take Jared’s, pulling him to his feet.

“I would like that, but I must ask one important question.”

“Sure…” Jared retorted hesitantly.

“Do you have any alcohol?” Jensen grinned. “Something strong and warming is called for.”

“I only have beer, but we can get something stronger on the way.”

“Excellent!” Jensen grabbed Jared’s hand as they started walking and it felt so right. Jared didn’t hold hands on a first date, if this was even really a date, but Jensen was unlike anyone he had ever met and Jared wanted nothing more than to get to know him better.

 

Soon they were sitting at Jared’s kitchen table, drinking Jack Daniels and chatting easily about their favorite drinks. Jensen had traveled the world and tried pretty much everything – except that nasty Mezcal with the worm in, he had said, shuddering and making Jared laugh. But Jensen would always love good old JD, and Jared had to agree, although he was more of a beer drinker.

Jared’s stomach rumbled loudly and Jensen raised a perfect eyebrow. “I should go, let you have your supper.”

“No!” Jared almost yelled, then grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, I mean please, stay. I can order in a pizza.”

Jensen regarded Jared for a moment before he smiled and Jared’s heart seemed to flip over. God, he was so fucking beautiful! “I would love to stay, Jared, if you are sure. But I would rather not have garlic on the pizza.”

Jared smiled back, “So, it’s true about vampires and garlic?”

“Not at all, I just hate having bad breath. Especially when…” Jensen actually looked a little shy and Jared could see the hint of a blush on his pale cheeks. “…when I might just have to kiss you again later.”

“Later?” Jared was on his feet and around the table, leaning down until his face was close to Jensen’s. “What about now?”

Jensen reached up and cupped Jared’s chin in his hand, “Now would be just fine.”

They kissed, their lips lightly brushing each other’s, and Jared had never experienced such a strong sensation. It was a sweet, soft kiss but Jared’s entire body seemed to react to it, he felt like he was melting, flying, soaring and spinning, all at the same time.

They parted, both slightly gasping and stared at each other. “I should, um, I need to order the food, the, um, the pizza,” Jared stammered, although he wasn’t in the least bit hungry right now. He ordered a large chicken and sweetcorn pizza – no garlic – and cheesecake for dessert. They ate the pizza and drank some beer, then moved into the lounge to sit more comfortable for to eat their cheesecake. Jared made them coffee to go with it and loved watching Jensen lick the spoon clean as he finished his piece.

Conversation flowed easily, but Jared still wanted to know about Jensen’s second love. They were sitting on opposite ends of Jared’s big comfy sofa and Jared turned to sit cross legged at his end, facing Jensen. “Please tell me about your second love, if you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t mind,” Jensen smiled and mimicked Jared, sitting cross legged too. “I swore I would never fall in love again after Felicia.” Jensen began. “You must understand that I was never a monk; I had many lovers both men and women. But no relationship lasted more than a few weeks, as I always backed off before it became serious. Then I met Jake, in a bar in New York in 1942.”

Jensen smiled a little at the memory and Jared felt a twinge of jealousy. “He was like a breath of fresh air, he didn’t fall for my usual pick up line and it took me several visits to the bar, which he frequented after work, before he would agree to go to dinner with me. He was a journalist; he had only been working for the paper for a few months, straight from college. He was bright, witty, handsome, and as sharp as a tack. To cut a long story short, we fell in love; we lived happily together in New York for several months. Then he volunteered to go to London to report on the War, he said it was his big break. I didn’t want him to go, but he was stubborn and fearless.”

“Jensen, God, no,” Jared could guess where this story was heading by the sorrow on Jensen’s face.

“I knew him for one year, three months and six days. We were together for eleven months, two weeks and two days. He was killed in a bombing raid. We parted in anger and I never saw him again.”

“Fuck, Jensen, that’s awful,” Jared reached out his hand to brush away the tear that had run down Jensen’s cheek.

“I never wanted to lose anyone again, not to age, not to death. It hurt too much.” Jensen leaned into Jared’s touch.

Jared swallowed hard, fighting back tears. “Do you…do you think you could ever love again?”

“I know I could,” Jensen smiled at him, the unshed tears in his eyes sparkling in the lamplight; “because I am falling in love with you¸ Jared.”

“That’s good, because I feel the same.” Jared leaned forward and they kissed; this time it wasn’t soft or light, it was deep and passionate, their bodies joining together, arms reaching around to pull the other closer.

Jared had never been in love before, he knew that now. He had thought he loved Tahmoh at first but it was nothing compared to how Jensen made him feel. He never wanted to be apart from Jensen again, not for a second. As corny as it sounded, Jensen made him feel complete, also safe, scared, excited and happier than he had ever been before. Jared didn’t care about Jensen being a vampire, and he didn’t care what anyone else thought, especially bigots like Tahmoh.

Jared was due to be going to his parent’s the next day for the Christmas holiday, but he decided then and there that he wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was Jensen.

“Stay, here with me, please,” Jared managed to whisper when they finally stopped kissing.

“Of course I will,” Jensen smiled at him and gave him a familiar wink, “you know that all I want for Christmas is you.”


End file.
